Sacramento Kings shooting guard Marco Belinelli (#3). (Photo : Getty Images)
There is reportedly an ongoing positional battle in the midst of the Sacramento Kings' training camp and that is between three guards: Marco Belinelli, Ben McLemore, and Darren Collison. Head coach George Karl is still undecided who of the three will he start at no. 2, but rumors were out that the Italian has the edge over the former Kansas Jayhawk and the natural point guard.
Four of the five starting positions in Sacramento's lineup is already comfortably occupied according to ESPN's rumor roundup, namely Rajon Rondo at point guard, Rudy Gay at small forward, Willie Cauley-Stein at power forward, and DeMarcus Cousins at center. The only remaining position of confusion for the 2013 NBA Coach of the Year was at the shooting guard spot.
McLemore is the incumbent starter, but since Rondo is the team's new starting floor general, Karl has to discover who among his three choices would fit the best with the former Celtic champion.
Pairing Rondo with Collison can be great especially in today's NBA where "small ball" is becoming highly effective. A two point guard backcourt will definitely speed things up for Karl, who likes a running offense better than a half-court set. But the team would have so much depth if Collison would just play backup to Rondo.
McLemore should still be the starter, but with his recent lackluster performances, the four-time NBA All-Star coach was having second thoughts about keeping him there.
CSN Bay Area reported that the "22-year-old shooting guard continues to struggle early in the season" or the preseason to be specific. McLemore started the Kings' first two preseason games while he barely played the third because of his poor showing in the previous two.
He shot a miserable 3-of-15 in three games, enough for Karl to reconsider his starting job.
Meanwhile, their newest acquisition, Belinelli, who was signed last July after he became a free agent, is playing well and shooting the three ball well, something that Karl is reportedly planning to incorporate more in the team's offense this season.
Rondo, with his crafty playmaking and ability to draw defenses on a drive, seems to be in perfect sync with a spot up, knock down shooter like Belinelli and could be the coach's final choice heading into the regular season.
However, no one can count out McLemore's superior athleticism and defense. He also has a decent shooting touch, but he is definitely more gifted offensively if he could get out of his current rut.
Still, his predicament is a welcome one for coach Karl as he is practically choosing between two, or three, of the most reliable players at their positions.
